Belt buckle



Dec. 25 1956 R. BEucl-IAT ET Ai.

BELT BUCKLE Filed Dec. 20. 1951 United States Patent O 2,775,011 BELT BUCKLE Roland Beuchat and Samuel Junod, Geneva, Switzerland Application December 20, 1951, Serial No. 262,528

4 Claims. (Cl. 24-178) This invention relates to a new and improved buckle of the type which has a pivoted tongue or prong. The improved buckle may be used as a belt-buckle and for many other purposes.

The improved buckle comprises the usual frame having the usual prong pivotally mounted thereon. The frame has an arm appropriately located and having an appropriate recess such that the tip of the prong may pass through said recess. Accordingly, the Pl'ong may be swung between two positions in which its tip is located respectively above and respectively below the frame arm.

The frame arm is hollow and has a detent rod slidably mounted therein and biased by a spring to a position in which it blocks the frame arm opening. The detent rod has an external projection which may be pushed against the action of the spring to carry a recess in the detent rod into registration with the frame arm recess so as to permit movement of the prong from one position thereof to the other position thereof.

When the prong is located in its position above the frame arm, the buckle may be used in the usual manner in conjunction with a belt, and the buckle prong may be passed through a hole in the belt to secure the belt upon the wearer. When it is desired to remove the belt, it is only necessary to push against the projection of the detent rod to bring the two recesses into registration, and as a result the tension exerted on the belt when it is worn will tend to move the prong through the registering recesses to its position below the frame arm. In this position, it is only necessary to pull on the end of the belt to separate the prong from the hole in which it has been previously inserted.

As an important feature of the invention, the recess in the detent rod is of such cam shape that in order to return the prong from its position below the frame arm to its position above the frame arm, it is unnecessary to press against the projection of the detent rod. It is only necessary to push the prong toward its position above the belt frame, and the tip of the prong engages said cam surfaces and forces the detent rod, against the action of the spring, to the position of registration of the frame arm recess and the detent rod.

Accordingly, we have provided an improved belt-buckle which makes it possible to unbuckle a belt with a minimum of pulling and tugging upon the belt, and which reduces to a minimum any diticulty experienced in returning the buckle prong to its normal position for reengagement with the belt hole.

Other objects and advantages and features of the invention are disclosed in the preferred embodiments thereof, which is disclosed iu the annexed description and drawings.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the improved buckle showing same mounted upon a belt.

Fig. 2 isa top plan view of the buckle.

2,775,011 Patented Dec. 25, 1956 ICC Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a portion of the buckle in horizontal section. Fig. 4 shows the detent rod in its normal position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but shows the detent rod moved, against the action of a spring, to a position permitting the buckle tongue to be moved between its two positions.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Upon reference to the Adrawings in detail, it will be noted that the frame of buckle B may be considered as extending generally longitudinally. Said buckle B has side arms 2 which are connected at one end by a lateral bar 1, to which a loop of belt L is connected in the usual manner. This belt L has the usual prong holes H. One end of the longitudinal prong or -tongue 3 is pivoted by means of a sleeve or lug on bar 1 in the usual manner. Bar 1 is the pivot-portion of the frame. Substantially the only movement of prong 3 relative to the bar or pivot-portion 1 is a turning movement of said prong 3 in a selected plane.

The other ends of side arms 2 are connected by a laterally extending, hollow, tubular bar 4. The bore of bar 4 is open at one end and closed at the other end thereof. Said bore 90 is preferably cylindrical. A preferably cylindrical detent rod 5 extends slidably within bore 90 and protrudes laterally outwardly of the open end thereof. Said bar 4 has a transverse through-andthrough key or pin 91 which extends through bore 90 and which also extends slidably through an axially elongated, diametrical slot 92 in detent rod 5. Rod 5 is thus laterally slidable, but said rod 5 cannot turn about its own axis. The key or pin 91 limits the outward sliding movement of rod 5.

A compression spring 8 is located within a bore of bar 5 at the closed end of the bore and yieldably maintains detent rod 5 in its normal position of Figs. l-4.

The median part of bar 4 has a notch or recess 93. This notch or recess 93 is formed in the side of bar 4 which is proximate to bar 1. Said notch or recess 93 extends between the upper and lower faces of bar 4, as viewed in Fig. 6. The free end tip of prong 3 may be moved in either direction through recess 93 between a first position in which it is located above the plane of buckle B, and a second position in which it is located below the plane of buckle B. Fig. 3 shows prong 3 in full 'lines in its first or upper position. In this view, prong 3 is shown in broken lines in its second or lower position. In Fig. 6, prong 3 is shown in solid lines in its second or lower position, after it has been permitted to fall through recess 93. In this View, it is shown in broken lines in its upper or first position. Figs. 2 and 4 show prong 3 in its upper or lirst position. Fig. l shows prong 3 in its lower or second position.

Detent rod 5 has a notch or recess 94. This notch or recess 94 is formed in the side of rod 5 which is proximate to bar 1. Said notch or 4recess 94 extends between the upper and lower faces of bar 4, as viewed in Fig. 6. Preferably, said notch or recess 94 communicates with bore 90. One lateral wall 95 of recess 94 extends substantially vertically as viewed in Figs. 2, 4 and 5. The other lateral wall 96 of recess 94 is inclined laterally outwardly from top to bottom, as viewed in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The particular shape of these surfaces 95 and 96 is best shown in Fig. 3. The general concave shape of the wall of recess 94, as viewed in horizontal section, is clearly shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5. As the result of the inclination of recess wall 96, the notch or recess 94 has its largest opening at the bottom of the buckle.

In the normal position of rod 5, as shown in Figs. 1 4,

the upper part of recess 94 is completely out of registration with recess 93. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, when prong 3 is in its upper or first position, with rod 5 in its normal position, prong 3 cannot be swung to its second position. However, if rod 5 is moved inwardly, to its position of Figs. 5 and 6, recess 94 moves into registration with recess 93, and prong 3 can drop downwardly, in the direction of arrow Fa. In this movement, the tip of prong 3 passes through the registering recesses 93 and 94.

However, in the normal position of rod 5, as the result of the inclination of the recess wall 96, the lower part of recess 94 is in registration with recess 93. The recess wall 96 serves as a cam surface. When prong 3 is moved upwardly from its second position, shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, it bears against the cam surface 96, and forces rod 5 inwardly, against the action of spring 8.

During the continued upward movement of prong 3, it continues to move rod 5 inwardly until rod 5 reaches its position of Fig. S, in which the upper part of recess 94 is in registration with recess 93. Upon .continued upward movement of prong 3, it clears recess 94 and moves to its upper or first position, shown in full lines in Fig. 3. The action of spring S then returns rod 5 to its normal position.

The operation of the invention may be brieiiy summarized as follows:

With prong 3 in its first or upper position, belt L is placed in position around the waist of the wearer, and prong 3 is inserted through one of the holes H of belt L, in the usual manner. When the wearer of the belt desires to unbuckle it, he merely presses rod 5 inwardly. As a result of the tension upon belt L while it is being worn, the belt pulls prong 3 through the registering recesses 93 and 94, to its second or lower position of Figs. l and 6. It will be apparent that if belt L is grasped and pulled in such a manner as to tend to separate the ends thereof, prong 3 withdraws from hole H and the end of the belt adjacent hole H may readily be pulled through the central opening of the frame of buckle B.

To restore buckle B to its original condition, so that prong 3 may again be inserted in a hole H of belt L, it is merely necessary to press prong 3 upwardly against the cam surface 96.

For convenience in the description and the annexed claims, the first position of prong 3 has been defined as its position above the frame of buckle B, and the second position of prong 3 has been defined as its position below the frame of buckle B. In other words, buckle B has been considered as lying in a horizontal plane. However, such definitions have been adopted solely for convenience of description. Thus, Fig. 1 shows prong 3 in its second position in which it is located adjacent the face of buckle B which is proximate to the wearer, and in this view the first position of prong 3 corresponds to its location adjacent the face of buckle B which is remote from the wearer.

We have disclosed a preferred embodiment of our invention, but it will be apparent that numerous changes, omissions and additions can be made without departing from the scope and spirit thereof.

We claim:

l. A buckle which comprises a longitudinally extending frame, said frame having a first lateral arm which has a hollow lateral bore which is closed at one end thereof and open at the other end thereof, said frame also having a lateral pivot arm mounted thereon and longitudinally spaced from said first lateral arm, said first lateral arm having a transversely extending, through-and-through opening in the side thereof which is proximate to said pivot arm and which extends through said side into co munication with said bore, a prong mounted on said pivot arm for pivotal movement about the axis thereof, said opening being shaped and located so that when said opening is unobstructed the tip of said prong can be swung through said opening between a first position in which said tip is located transversely above said rst lateral arm and a second position in which said tip is located transversely below said first lateral arm, a lateral detent rod frictionally slidably located within said bore, means associated with said first lateral arm and acting upon said rod so as substantially to prevent turning movement thereof relative to said bore, said rod having a transversely extending, through-and-through detent recess in the side thereof which is proximate to said pivot arm, said detent recess having a lateral cam surface which is inclined downwardly outwardly, a compression spring located within said bore between its closed end and one end of said rod and normally holding said end of said rod in a position remote from said closed end of said bore, said detent recess being then positioned so that said rod obstructs the upper portion of said opening so as to prevent free movement of said prong tip from said first position to said second position, said detent recess being also then positioned so that said cam surface is in registration with the lower portion of said opening, said tip being adapted to bear against said cam surface in movement of said tip from its second position toward its first position and being thereby adapted to cooperate with said cam surface to force said rod into an unblocking position in which the upper portion of said detent recess is in registration with said opening, so as to permit said tip to complete its movement to its first position, the other end of said rod protruding outwardly of the end of said bore and being manually movable against the action of said spring so as also to move said rod into its unblocking position.

2. A. buckle in accordance with claim l, in which said bore and said rod are both cylindrical, said rod having a lateral recess in the periphery thereof, said means for preventing said rod turning movement comprising a pin projecting from the wall of said bore into said recess, said pin being also adapted to engage the end of said recess proximate from the closed end of said bore so as to serve as a limit stop to the lateral movement of said slot resulting from the free action of said spring.

3. A buckle which comprises a longitudnally extending frame, said frame having a first lateral arm which has a hollow lateral bore which is closed at one end thereof and open at the other end thereof, said frame also having a lateral pivot arm mounted thereon and longitudinally spaced from said first lateral arm, said first lateral arm having a transversely extending, through-and-through opening in the side thereof which is proximate to said pivot arm, a prong mounted on said pivot arm for pivotal movement about the axis thereof, said opening being shaped and located so that when said opening is unobstructed the top of said prong can be swung through said opening between a first position in which said tip is located transversely above said first lateral arm and a second position in which said tip is located transversely below said first lateral arm, a lateral detent rod frictionally slidably located within said bore, said rod having a transversely extending, through-and-through detent recess in the side thereof which is proximate to said pivot arm, said detent recess having a lateral cam surface which is inclined downwardly outwardly, a compression sprlng located within said bore between its closed end and one and of said rod and normally holding said end of said rod in a position remote from said closed end of said bore, said detent recess being then positioned so that said rod obstructs the upper .portion-of said opening so as to prevent free movement of said prong tip from said first position to said second position, said detent recess being also then positioned so that said cam surface is in registration with the lower portion of said opening, said tip being adapted to bear against said cam surface in movement of said tip from its second position toward its tirst position and being thereby adapted to cooperate with said cam surface to force said rod into an unblocking position in which the upper portion of said detent recess is in registration with said opening, so as to permit said tip to complete its movement to its rst position, the other end of said rod protruding outwardly of the end of said bore and being manually movable against the action of said spring so as also to move said rod into its unblocking position.

4. A buckle which comprises a longitudinally extending frame, said frame having a first lateral arm which `has an interior space which communicates with the eX- terior of said first lateral arm, said frame also having a lateral pivot arm mounted thereon and longitudinally spaced from said first lateral arm, said first lateral arm having a transversely extending, through-and-through opening in the side thereof which is proximate to said pivot arm, a prong mounted on said pivot arm for pivotal movement about the axis thereof, said opening being shaped and located so that when said opening is unobstructed the tip of said prong can be swung through said opening between a first position in which said tip is located transversely above said first lateral arm and a second position in which said tip is located transversely below said first lateral arm, a detent rod movably mounted within the interior of said first lateral arm, said rod having a detent recess extending transversely through the side thereof, said detent recess having a lateral cam surface, a spring mounted within said interior space and engaging said rod so as to normally hold same in a blocking position in which said rod obstructs the upper portion of said 6 opening so as to prevent free movement of said prong tip from said first position to said second position, said detent recess being also then positioned so that said cam surface is in registration with the lower portion of said opening, said tip being adapted to bear against said cam surface in movement of said tip from its second position toward its first position and being thereby adapted to cooperate with said cam surface to force said rod into an unblocking position in which the upper portion of said detent recess is in registration with said opening, so as to permit said tip to complete its movement to its first position, said rod having an extension which protrudes outwardly of said first lateral arm and which is manually movable against the action of said spring so as also to move said rod into its unblocking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 407,919 Blum July 30, 1889 708,339 Goozey Sept. 2, 1902 1,117,606 Schrenkeisen Nov. 17, 1914 2,536,063 Kirsten Jan. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 152,253 France of 1882 13,229' Great Britain of 1907 498,804 Great Britain Ian. 13, 1939 

